Age Groups, Aussie Masters and Olympic Solidarity Course

More good times as a coach.

With a very short time to catch my breath it was back up to Cambridge for Age Group Nationals and an even larger Canterbury Team and more riders that I personally coach. I was the U17 girls teams coach and the riders had been putting in some awesome racing all season long so I was really looking forward to seeing them in action.

Team Canterbury

Sadly Jessie Banks was out with Glandular Fever and at the last minute Christine Lambley had to withdraw after a nasty crash at Denton Park.

The racing over the 5 days was awesome with some standout rides and a full set of National records from Ellesse Andrews of Southland. In NZ U17s have gone to a 7.0m rollout from 6.61m so would have been interesting to see how some would have fared on the smaller gear.

Jackson Ogle set a new U17 boys flying 200m record. He went on to take Bronze in his first ever indoor sprint championships and took Silver in the Team Sprint.

Jackson Ogle on the way to a NZ Record!

Samantha Jones had an awesome week winning Silver in the 500m TT, Keirin and Teams Sprint pairing with Michelle Petersen.

Samantha Silver in the Keirin

Shona McGrath was double Bronze in the M2 Scratch and pairing with Lyndal Donnelly in the Teams Sprint.

Shona 2 x Bronze and unofficial M3 Champ in Everything!

Our U17 girls rode their hearts out and while medals proved elusive Sammi Ogle was 4th in the Points Race and 5th in the Sprints. The Canterbury Team of Sammi and Olivia Reiber were 4th in the Team Sprint and these two combined with Jessica Ownsworth and Aleisha Scott to take 4th in the Teams Pursuit.

U17 Girls Teams Sprint

U17 Girls Teams Pursuit

At the Australian Masters Nationals Hamish Wright was in fine form in the M2 Grade with 4th in the Kilo, Silver in the Scratch Race and Gold in the Sprints.

Hamish Wright Aussie M2 Sprint Champion

After the Nationals that finished on a real high it was on to an Olympic Solidarity Course in Cambridge that was 7 days and covered both coaching and coach development. Sessions went from 9am through to 8pm some days and covered many new theories and opportunities to practice under the eye of course facilitator Andrew Gillot from UCI.

So a huge two weeks with much learned and leaving me very inspired to get out and do more as a coach.

Great start

Hello all

Great start to the year. Coaching and Commissairing going fantastic and after a 5 month wait for my thesis to be marked, went to a third examiner after the first two couldn't agree and then the third went AWOL over the New Year break, the results are in and it would appear I have a Masters Degree!!!

Year started awesomely up at the Tour of Vineyards as Commissaire for the new Junior Race and then Comm 2 for the Elite Men's Race which was rather cool in the searing heat. 

I was a Commissaire at Elite Road Nationals and over the three days got to witness some amazing racing and catch up with all my Comms buddies that I get to work with at various events and fight with at others. 

Elite Track Nationals were very early in the year so it was up to Cambridge for a week of more heat and some World Class Cycling. Despite a bumpy run in to the event the crew were on fire. Olivia Podmore won 4 Gold, 1 Silver and took the NZ record for the under 19 500m TT. Gemma Payne won Silver in the Elite Women's Teams Sprint, Sam Buckner Silver in the under 19 Men's Teams Sprint and Liam Brown won Bronze in the under 19 Men's Teams Sprint. 

Based on performances at Elites Olivia was selected for her second Junior World Track Cycling Champs being held this year in Astana, Kazakhstan. Liam Brown was selected for the Junior Anzac Cup that takes place in Adelaide. Olivia will compete here as well as part of the build up to Worlds. 

Was straight back home for Canterbury Track Champs where the crew dominated the racing. Won all the U17 girls events and scored Golds in Elite Women, U17 boys and Masters Women's. Gemma Payne won the 500m TT at the Southland, Waikato/BOP, Canterbury and WCNI Championships to go with her 4th place and sub 37s PB at National in Elite Women.

Now I have joined the gym and am trying to ride the bike where possible. Thanks to Geoff for dragging me out for my only ride in January...

Now it is back up to Cambridge for Age Groups Track Nationals and then stay on for a week to do a High Performance Coaching Course. Then up to Blenheim to be Commissaire for GrapeRide and some prep for NZ Club Road Nationals in Hastings before I knuckle down to some serious coaching to help people maintain their strengths and build their base over the Winter and help Schools riders prepare for their Nationals and various overseas riders prepare for cool events including Junior Worlds and then Masters World Track Cycling Champs.